Winds and rainstorms are in full throttle in India and more than 40 people were killed in the northern city of Lucknow alone as a result of collapsing buildings and falling trees. The deadly storms have caused at least 150 deaths in India so far and injured more than 500 people, according to the officials’ reports.
More than 150 Deaths Recorded
According to the official report, many of the deaths occurred as a result of collapsing building and falling trees which left civilians buried under the wreckage
Deadly winds and sandstorms have been sweeping across India for the past several weeks, tearing down buildings, houses, mosques, and temples. In Lucknow, a city in northern part of the country, more than 43 deaths have been reported after the skies turned red with sand and dust last Monday.
In the small town of Bareilly, strong winds flung trucks off the highways, causing several deadly motor accidents. Eight people were killed when a mosque’s minaret fell on a crowd seeking shelter in a courtyard nearby.
In another city, a large billboard fell on a pedestrian, crushing him to death. More than 150 deaths have occurred in India since the beginning of the deadly storm, whereas some 500 people have been left injured as a result of the wreckage.
More Storms May Strike
Gupta warns that the deadly weather is far from being over and may cause more destruction and deaths in the coming weeks
Uttar Pradesh’s meteorological officer director, J.P. Gupta, says that as the monsoon season approaches strong winds and dust storms are to be expected, but the intensity of the storms this year is quite severe and unusual than in the past.
Majority of the destruction occurred in the northern states of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab where the number of deaths has risen to 111. A record number of casualties was also recorded in the historic city of Agra – the home of Taj Mahal.
Agence France-Presse reported last Wednesday that a total of 14 deaths were recorded in Andhra Pradesh after the southern state was stuck with more than 41,000 lightening bolts during the storm.
India’s Southern States in Chaos
Most of the southern states of India resemble a scene of chaos: schools shut down, homes turned into rubble and uprooted trees scattered on the roads. Farmers have also reported a loss of livestock and destruction of fields.
Himanshu Sharma, a scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department warned last week that another deadly storm may be headed towards the area and could strike in the next few days. He told the India Express that intense winds are beginning to brew in the desserts of Rajasthan which could cause another disastrous dust storm. Uttar Pradesh and the Rajasthan border are some of the areas that could be affected by the upcoming storm.
Thomas Reuters Foundation reported that storm is making its way from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal at the speed of 67 miles per hour, leaving behind a trail of chaos and deaths. The storms have also caused faulty power lines due to the falling trees and serious delays in transportation through road, rail and air.
Dust storms are expected every year during he dry season in India which lasts from April to June, but the winds this season have been more severe than usual. Although state officials are still analyzing the damage caused by the storms, a senior official from Uttar Pradesh estimated that at least 120 million Indians have been affected by the disastrous weather in some way.
Could Climate Change be the Reason?
A meteorologist at Weather Underground said that thunderstorms are an integral part of the hot summer climate in India but the strength of the downward draft winds has been quite strange this year.
According to the explanation provided by the meteorologist, when dry, hot air rises into the atmosphere, it triggers the formation of winds and thunderstorms. But the winds are cooled by the rain and they fall back to the Earth stronger and more severe. The strong winds then kick up dust and transform into dust storms.
The weather has been worse this year due to the record-breaking heat seen in the south Asian region which is feeding into the storms and many climate change scientist fear that with rising global temperatures due to global warming, thee storms could become more common in South Asian countries.
